Dead Run
by Mad Psyence
Summary: Death should be more enjoyable, but when it comes to business you just can't keep some people down. Lives are going to tangle, but who will come out with theirs?
1. In the beginning there was no beginning

Ranma 1/2 was created and is owned by other people.. no me.   
  
  
  
Nerima district  
Tokyo,  
Japan  
  
The night, like nights before it, was dark. People slept during the night, and the night was seen as lonely and antisocial. An occasional figure could be seen scurrying from one thing to the next, but they never stopped to say anything pleasant. They would grumble about the cold, or the shadows, or ramble a string of curses as they hurried for their destination. But once in a great while a friend would be made, or stop in for a visit. These were the people the night loved, and danced within them. These were the people and creatures it would take by the hand and lead along the streets singing silent praises to them with its windy voice. This night was joyous.   
  
A little figure, roughly about 60 cm (2 feet) in height, bounded from one roof top to the next, stopping to inspect each window or porch he came across. Grubby hands would snatch things and stuff them in to a half full sack the little man carried slung over his back. Then hop and bounce along his way to the next victim, until his sack was bulging and no more could be stuffed in. The thief, for that was what he was, whimpered pitifully and started to bounce his way home.  
  
Happosai landed on the window ledge to his room, bag bouncing against his back. He had left the window to his room open as he did every night he went 'out.' A smell of rot, dirt and musk assaulted his nose, to which he paid no mind; your room would smell that way too if you never cleaned it. Kasumi would not set a foot in HIS room, so dirty it stayed. Happosai hopped into his room and unslung the bag from his back, immediately dumping the contents of women's undergarments into a heap on the floor. He dove in, giggling like a demented freak; which was appropriate because he was. A rustle of clothing near his futon and the underlying smell of preservatives was enough to momentarily distract the little goblin, and he looked up into the moon lit darkness.   
  
~~  
  
She had laid there patiently for over an hour. She had entered through the front door, had not bothered to take off her shoes; tracking thick sticky mud into the house. That was quite inconsiderate and unproper, she reflected.  
  
It wasn't the greatest way to make an entrance, she knew, and had been vaguely disappointed that he hadn't been in his room. She had waited nearly 2 decades to meet him, a few more hours wouldn't hurt. Patience was a virtue she had come to appreciate.  
  
She rolled her head slowly towards the noise at the window. A little moving lump looking creature perched briefly on the window edge before dropping into the room with a tiny thump. It removed a sack and emptied the contents onto the floor before disappearing into the small hill it had made.  
  
Her wait over, she sat up.  
  
Happosai eyed the woman sitting on his bed carefully. He knew her. He would have known her, to put it lamely, anywhere. Her short curly brown hair, at one time combed and styled, now looked neglected and in need of washing. She wore a modest soft blue dress and flat heeled blue shoes, caked thickly with mud. Her face was pretty and kind looking, with plush lips, and large brown eyes. The moonlight played across her, causing her to seem pale and sickly.  
  
He remained where he was a feeling of awe and surprise taking root in the base of his spine.  
  
"Are you," she paused "Happosai?"  
  
Happosai eyes narrowed the slightest. "Might be, deary." He frowned.   
  
"I have waited a long time to meet you." She said.  
  
"Kimiko.. What are you doing here?" He felt he should be afraid, maybe screaming for his life, but he just sat there in the pile of underwear. Kimiko crawled closer to him, her movements fluid and easy. Not stiff at all.  
  
"I thought I would stop by for a visit. Can't a woman visit her loved ones."  
  
"Not a dead woman, Kimiko," Happosai stated dryly. "They're supposed to stay in their graves."  
  
Kimiko tilted her head to one side and looked at Happosai and didn't look at Happosai. "It would seem that way," She replied. "But once you die it seems not."  
  
Happosai gave her a strange look, before she stood up.  
  
"I came to tell you, Happosai, to watch my family. They need someone to watch them and I'm enlisting you to help me. Understand?" At his nod she bent and kissed him on top of his bald head. Her lips where cold and dry. She smelled of chemicals and bile and if there had been any doubt in him to begin with, that this woman was not dead, it would have vanished.  
  
"Get some sleep, Happosai. And don't cause any trouble." Kimiko smiled and gracefully turned on her heels and left. Left his room and left the house. Happosai sat in his treasures and shuddered.   
  
That had not been normal, even for his standards. He gazed at the muddy foot prints. They lead into his room then out again and down the hall.. She had not woken any of the others, which would mean she didn't want them to know....Happosai got up and went to get Kasumi's mop and bucket, he spent the next 2 hours cleaning graveyard mud from the floors.  
  
~~~~  
  
  
There had been an increase in violence all over the world, as of late. It didn't take a genius to notice the disturbing trend of anger and tantrums. He had known this, and had know it for a while; although he couldn't distinguish how long. Time had really no meaning to him or his kind. To him, time was a thing of comfort. It was either dark or light, too hot, too cold, warm or cool.   
  
Currently it was light, and pleasant out. It was a good day. He paused in his trek to sniff at the breeze. It held a welcome smell. The smell of youth, of health, and his secrete favorite: cookies. He paused long enough to sniff around the base of a trash can and piss on it, then padded off in search of cookies.  
  
Kasumi hummed to herself as she walked home, groceries in hand. She had Cascade's song 'Strawberry Moon' playing in her head on repeat, but that was okay, it was a good song.  
  
It was around 11 in the morning and she would have to make lunch when she got home, maybe make a snack for her sisters and Ranma a little before school was out. It just depended on how much she had to do.  
  
He rounded a corner, a huge massive beast, and trotted up behind the young woman. He was closing in, so close he could almost pounce her if he wanted...Then it happened. There was a throop sound as air rushed to replace a large space suddenly vacated. A large broad mussel shrank to become small, delicate and slightly pointed. Powerful paws became dainty and fearsome visage became ... cute.   
  
His tail started to wag uncontrollably and self disgust washed over him. His head and chest sunk to touch the ground leaving his butt in the air; tail moving like he was readying for take off. He inhaled a deep breath before he barked and whined and made his dark eyes grow large and sad looking.  
  
Kasumi started and turned around. There pawing at her feet, trying it's hardest to look cute and not trying to look hungry, but looking so all the same, was a rather small -- about the size of a Pomeranian - dirty looking dog. He was crouched in, what was to her opinion, a groveling pose. The little dog let lose a series of pathetic whines and looked up at her.  
  
"Oh, aren't you a sweet little thing," Kasumi cooed as she bent down to scratch him behind the ears. "I'm sorry I can't play with you. I must be getting home now." She stood and turned to continue home. A small yelp followed by a sad howl made her pause. She glanced behind her at the 'crying' animal. And Kasumi, being Kasumi, felt her heart melt. She turned once more the dog and motioned to him. "Come on. Let's go home and get you something to eat... Maybe a bath too. Oh dear, I hope father won't object." And with that Kasumi and dog, trailing close behind, returned to the Tendo dojo.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The week, Ranma decided, had been the same crap as the one before. A few over zealous fiance, followed by Ryoga and Mu Tsu, a vampiric teacher, and Kuno. Yep, it got old. He, Akane, and Nabiki were finished with school for the day. They reached home chatting amongst themselves.  
  
"We're home!" Akane shouted, taking her shoes off before entering the house proper.  
  
There was the sound of clicking claws on wood flooring, followed by the sight of a small black fur ball rounding the corner  
barking, tongue lolling out of it's mouth.  
The next thing Ranma knew; was dog slobber on his face and the rancid smell of bad breath. The dog, it turned out, was a great jumper.  
  
"Yaaaaarg!" Ranma squirmed, prying the excited furball from his face.  
  
"Oh wow," Akane snatched the dog from him and crushed it to her chest. "You are soooooo cute!"   
  
"Oh my, bad puppy!" Kasumi, arriving at the entrance, admonished. The dog paid no attention and struggled against the death grip.  
  
Nabiki, unimpressed, headed for her room. She, as always, had business to attend to.   
  
"Where did you find him? Can we keep him? What's his name?" Akane asked.  
  
"He followed me. It's okay with father. I haven't named him." The answers came in short reply.  
  
Akane for all her hidden girlish glee, squealed.   
  
Ranma made a silent gagging motion.... Ooooooh that dog saliva was nasty.. Sticky, smelly, badness. His stomach lurched strangely and the bathroom became his destination. Hopefully before his lunch revisited him.  
  
  
Dog watched. The male/female, according to his nose, human entered a door down the hall. The door clicked shut.   
  
Hnnn, now what...There was a lot of information to puzzle through. And in this form it was quite difficult. There were too many interferences.   
  
The tail, for one , was driving him nuts... It had a mind of it's own. All that wagging. Maybe later he'd teach it a lesson. For now he was busy. The girl squeezed him again and he thought his eyes would pop from his skull. Ouch.  
  
  
Ranma splashed water on his face. That had been unpleasant-very. He scrubbed a bit. He had never smelled anything so rank in his life. Deadly doggy breath. Even the smell of the boys' locker room, or Genma's sweaty form in close quarters was preferable to that....smell.   
  
He stood, grasping a towel, dried his face. Ranma glanced in the mirror and froze. It cost him dearly. A hand shot out from the mirror with incredible speed, and gripped hard and fierce at his neck. 


	2. Somewhere in Japan...

Somewhere in Japan.  
  
Maki-chan sat. She was perched on a wooden fence that circled a lake. It was a fairly good size body of water and nice; for being man-made. Which, Maki-chan reflected, made the word reservoir more appropriate.  
  
It was late afternoon that found the small girl sulking. And, the heat of the day finding Maki-chan's mood catching, sulked too. In this case, misery didn't feel like company.  
  
The sun glinted off the murky water, illuminating the koi fish swimming about. Maki-chan idly thought of how boring it'd be to be a fish. Then again, she corrected herself, if she were a fish she wouldn't know it were boring, because fish never seem bored. Her nose wiggled cutely as she thought.  
  
"Ah," A man, who had been leaning on the fence next to her, but she had been ignoring him, said. "I know that look." And he grinned.  
  
She sniffed and turned her nose up at him. "So?" She said, pouting. "In case you've forgotten, Jave, " she said his name hard, as if forcing it from her throat. "I'm still ignoring you."  
  
"You can't ignore me forever," he countered. "You're nothing without me." Again the grin.  
  
"That's no way to talk to a lady!" She yelled and then softly added, "Don't you think I know that? It's not like I have much choice."  
  
"I don't see no lady," Jave drawled out. He smirked as Maki-chan stuck her tongue out at him. "You owe me, Maki-chan," He continued. "I listened when no one else would. What would you have done if I didn't? What then, girl? Don't you forget." With that he turned from her and strode off.  
  
She made to follow, but paused and instead hopped to the ground. Maki-chan sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. How could she forget? Couldn't if she wanted too. She hated him, and not just him. She hated herself, what she was. But no, not hate alone. At times she felt something more for him. She needed him, saw him as a brother at times, but that might be her loneliness and grief.   
  
Maki-chan loathed herself, the unfairness. She was no ordinary child, she knew. The emotions raced through her. Each one slamming into her. Then all was gone and the world was cold, she was cold. The sky, the ground darkened in the light. The lake changed, becoming a dark liquid maw there to claim her. The fish sparkling teeth. And only one word flitted through her.  
  
Damn...  
  
~~~  
  
Nerima.  
  
He felt it. More than just pressure on his neck. He felt the pulse of blood flowing under the skin, the warmth of the life in those fingers and the strength of the muscles. A testament to living, capable flesh. Flesh that was crushing his wind pipe. And it did not matter. No, Ranma found the weight crushing his mind more painful.  
  
There was sight, sound. He could see his face in the mirror and passively, as if he were a spectator, noted the look of disbelief. He could hear his breath wheezing from his lungs, and the sound of voices speaking no words. And then sight was gone.  
  
-------  
  
Shinjuku, sub capital of Tokyo.  
  
  
Jave swept into the small apartment like a violent wind, banging the door open with enough force to leave a knob dent in the wall. A small cat scampered in front of his feet, causing him to stumble, and sending the cat bounding into the arms of his roommate.  
Yasushi, his roommate, made no move to acknowledge his entrance. Never had and Jave doubted he ever would. His shoulders sagged a little at the thought.   
Yasushi was a tall, slender man. He had small gold rimmed glasses framing his brown eyes, which currently, were fixated on the TV screen, that wasn't turned on. His head tilted to the side as if listening intently, he nodded and hummed.  
"Dammit, Sushi," Jave hissed. "I told you not to bring any more of your 'friends' home."   
Yasushi's eyes flicked to Jave and back to the screen. "Don't call me that," he grumbled. The cat sat in his lap and purred, he stroked its back, scratched its ears. "Who are you to say the company I keep? Bah, no, I think not. You bring home all sorts of savory characters....You know you shouldn't bring them here."  
Jave glared. "I don't 'bring' them home, they follow me." He jerked a thumb at his chest to emphasize his point, a very American gesture.  
"Same difference, is it not?"   
"What is it with you? When are you gonna take the stick outta your ass, man?" Jave came to a stop at the end of the futon Yasushi sat on, one hip thrust out a little and thumb hooked in his jean's belt strap.  
Yasushi put down the TV remote and carefully, deliberately look up at the younger man. "When are you," he paused for effect. "going to stop being so arrogant?"  
Jave snorted and shifted his weight. "You're just jealous, old man." And he grinned his grin.  
"Jealous of stupidity?" He pretended to pondered this.  
"Oh, ha ha. You are so clever."  
"Yes, I know." Yasushi's thin lips quirked vaguely upwards at the corners.  
  
~~~~~~  
Location unknown.  
  
The trees seemed to stretched for miles out of the damp earth, and yet they couldn't have been more than 6 meters high. They had leaves the like of which he had never seen; leaves he didn't think even man or nature could craft.   
He stood at the center of a small circular clearing, the trees bowed in without end; forming a dome of brown bark and green. No light came from above, and he felt there was no light up there to come in. The only light came from a pool of water in front of him, filling the enclosure with a soft milky glow.  
Ranma slowly circled his surroundings, feeling the 'walls' as he went. He found nothing he could not see. He snorted and walked the rim of the glowing water... He made a complete circle before coming to a stop where he started, or rather, walking into a large mass of unyielding flesh. Blue eyes moved from the nude chest in front of him up to the furry head attached to it.   
The bear man huffed at him, sending a gush of warm used air through his hair. Bear man's massive head shook and his hand came up to Ranma's chest and pushed. Ranma fell. He fell fast, fell hard and there was no ground. No more light, trees streaked by and he saw the roots snake around to grab him. The roots were thin and clung to his body, burrowed into his skin, his muscle, to his bones. They pulled him down and hugged him tight, some almost caressing him before plunging deep, spilling his blood...  
  
Tendo's bathroom  
  
Sight came back to him, and then he came back to the bathroom. Lastly he came back to himself. Ranma blinked, his reflection blink with him. He took a quick step back and then another and another till his back was against the door. His hands came up to grasp his own throat. Nothing, still a throat. Head was still attached, pulse strong and breathing normal.   
His brow furrowed in something that was not quite thought. The voice in his head was gibbering away about a million unimportant things, none of which he cared to hold on to.   
The mirror rippled. His eyes refocused on it, but he didn't want to see. A little boy looked out at him, eyes wide and smiling. Then the image shivered, cuts appeared over the boy and infection followed. The skin peeled back and muscle unraveled like string, melted from bone and dripped wetly into the sink below. Pieces hit the porcelain with meaty splats. The boy in the mirror just smiled a smile of nothing.  
Ranma choked. His hands worked to find the door knob, but seemed to get lost along the way. He felt a tide of words spring to his mind only to be strangle and hung in his throat, until one word crawled up from the inky darkness.  
"Daddy...?" 


End file.
